


Okay.

by butterflycell



Series: love takes time [2]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Academy Era, Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-09
Updated: 2014-07-09
Packaged: 2018-02-08 04:53:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1927350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butterflycell/pseuds/butterflycell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No matter how much Leonard might want to, he doesn't see how his friendship with Jim can be repaired.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Because I couldn't leave the boys like that...

_Hey, Bones. How's the research going? - JK_  
  
 _Pike said he's authorising my extra modules this year. - JK_  
  
 _Want to grab coffee sometime this week? - JK_  
  
Jim had kept his distance for the first few weeks, something that Leo was immensely grateful for. He'd been sleeping better in his own place, and the constant neck ache and tension headache had faded away. He was happier, in general, but his heart was hurting.  
  
He missed Jim.  
  
So when the kid started messaging him, despite his better judgement, he replied.  
  
 _Sure, lunchtime Thursday? - LM_  
  
*  
  
Leo had expected it all to be intensely awkward and a huge mistake, but Jim ploughed on as he always did, looking genuinely happy to see Leo again. Eventually, Leo let himself relax a little and enjoy the kid's company. He still breathed a sigh of relief when he had to head back inside.  
  
Jim seemed to take it as a good thing and Leo found himself being harassed on a regular basis via comm – much in the same way as he had been the year before. Leo replied to about half the messages, but it didn't deter him. He also agreed to hang out with him for dinner. Jim promised him pizza, beer and bad holos. Leo had rejected three other invites by that point, so he made himself go. Jim was trying, and so should he.  
  
“I have pepperoni and vegetarian.” Jim answered the door to their old dorm room with an open bottle of beer and Leo raised his eyebrows.  
  
“Three guesses which one's mine?” He rolled his eyes and took the beer, doing his best to feel at home rather than on edge.  
  
He was hyper aware as Jim sat down next to him, his body sensing every little movement that came from him. It was going to be a long evening.  
  
*  
  
Jim kept messaging him, kept on trying to start up conversations like they used to have, but Leo was replying less and less. He didn't know what to say, didn't know how to respond. All that Jim's messages did was make it hurt more. He wasn't going to get that friendship back, not by pretending nothing was different.  
  
After the pizza and beer was gone, they'd sat in slightly awkward silence, Jim picking at the label on his bottle while Leo checked his watch and made his excuses. He'd seen the mixed emotions on Jim's face as he hurried to get up and follow him to the door. Leo had cringed at the awkward handshake Jim offered.  
  
He wanted to scream it at Jim, to beg him to stop forcing it, but he couldn't. He started replying to one in three messages, then one in five until he was replying maybe once or twice a day.  
  
Jim's determined contact began to dwindle to a few messages a day.  
  
 _Want to grab lunch sometime this week? - JK_  
  
Leo stared at the message for a long moment before sighing and rubbing his eyes. His heart thudded uncomfortably in his chest as he realised what he had to do.  
  
 _I think I'll be stuck in the lab all week. Sorry. - LM_  
  
*  
  
It had been almost a week since he'd snubbed Jim, and he hadn't received more than a couple of cursory ' _how's your day been?_ 's since. It hurt worse that when he'd first moved out, because he'd made his decision.  
  
Cutting Jim out had been like cutting out an organ.  
  
Everything else had been going well, though – his part in the research project was proving fruitful and he'd already been offered places on several other key projects once his was done. He'd fallen back in love with the science behind the medicine and was beginning to think he could make a life for himself here. Being a medical researcher with part-time work at the infirmary sounded perfect to him.  
  
He was looking over his research offers when his intercom buzzed. Frowning, he put the PADD to one side and got up to answer the intercom. “Hello?”  
  
“ _Bones_.” Leo swallowed hard. Jim sounded tired. He opened the door and Jim glanced at him briefly before looking away and walking in.  
  
“Coffee?” Leo asked, Jim raising an eyebrow at him and shrugging.  
  
“Sure, why not.” Leo nodded and made up a couple of mugs, handing one over to Jim but otherwise staying on the other side of the room to him. There was a stillness to the quiet spreading through the room. Jim was leaning on the back of the couch, looking over his shoulder at where Leo had dropped his PADD. He was about to say something when Jim spoke up. “I miss you, Bones.”  
  
“I--” Leo began to reply, but Jim cut him off, looking up and fixing him with a shuttered look.  
  
“Just listen for a moment, okay?” Jim drank down a large mouthful of his drink before carrying on. “I've missed you ever since that damned conversation with Gaila. I want what we had last year back. We've tried it my way, and we both know that failed spectacularly, so lets try it yours.”  
  
“What's that supposed to mean?” Leo frowned, noticing the way Jim was starting to blush a little bit.  
  
“I don't know what it's like to be in love, or even in a relationship,” Jim's hands were fidgeting against the material of the couch, “but from what I understand, its finding that person who you want to spend all of your time with and who you miss when they're not around.”  
  
“It's not that easy, Jim.” Leo replied. Jim held a finger up.  
  
“It hadn't occurred to me to think of you romantically before, I was too caught up in finally having a friend who gave a damn about me.” Jim heaved a sigh. “I know it's pathetic, but sex has never been more than something fun for me so I've never even pictured myself in a relationship before. Can you see why I reacted to strongly when someone asked whether my one, solid relationship was anything to do with sex?”  
  
“I don't know whether that's a compliment or not.” Leo said dryly, and Jim almost growled at him.  
  
“I'm already halfway there. Give me a chance to get the whole way.” Jim looked at him, his expression open and earnest and Leo felt something flip over in his stomach.  
  
“This isn't a game for me, Jim.” He said carefully.  
  
“Does it look like I'm goddamn laughing?” Jim snapped in return. “Give me a couple of months to make this work, and if it doesn't, what have you actually lost?”  
  
Leo watched him for a long few moments, weighing up the sincerity in his voice and the logic in his words. It would be a disservice to Jim to say it was uncharacteristic, but it definitely wasn't normal. Leo felt fluttered in his chest as he nodded slowly.  
  
“Okay.” He said carefully, and Jim visibly brightened.  
  
“Okay?” His expression lifted and Leo felt a little more comfortable about the whole situation. This might just work.  
  
“Okay.” He smiled and Jim's whole being seemed to flip and he smiled back.  
  
“Thank God for that.” He softened and got up, walking round to collapse onto the couch with a groan. He closed his eyes and let his head fall back with a sigh.  
  
“Make yourself at home.” Leo muttered. Jim patted the couch next to him and Leo paused for a moment.  
  
“ _Bones_.” Jim said, his voice dropping into a warning. Leo snorted in amusement and moved back to where he'd been sitting earlier. After a moment, he moved his arm to lie along the back of the couch. Jim didn't hesitate before slumping sideways against him.  
  
They watched a holo, sitting like that on the couch for the rest of the evening. When Jim got up to leave, Leo saw his expression turn speculative and noticed his smirk as his eyes flicked from Leo's eyes to his mouth and back.  
  
“Not tonight.” He said gently, and Jim nodded. He reached out to squeeze Leo's hand gently before leaving.  
  
*  
  
For the next few weeks, Jim dragged him out for lunch and crashed his place for dinner. He regularly made Leo late back to the lab, or stayed 'til long past midnight. Each night felt a little more like being dragged away, and Leo had to keep his emotions in check.  
  
Each time he went, Jim considered him and Leo smiled and said ' _not tonight_ '. He didn't want to force Jim into anything, wanted to give the whole situation all the time it needed to blossom. However, when Jim had left the night before, Leo had leaned in to press a kiss to his cheek. Jim had flushed to the tips of his ears and grinned as he'd left.  
  
Leo had got in at a decent time that Friday, coming home and stretching out with a long groan. He gave himself a few minutes to relax, but forced himself back to his feet to grab a quick shower. It had been a long, tiring week running through an seemingly endless amount of data analysis.  
  
No sooner had he pulled on a tshirt and some sweats than Jim came through the door – he'd hacked the system after the third time round and Leo knew better than to argue. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could form words, Jim was pressed against him and kissing him slowly.  
  
Leo just wrapped his arms round Jim's waist and pulled him close, letting the younger man have his way.  
  
His heart pounded and soared in his chest, and he could feel Jim's grin.  
  
“That didn't take long.” He murmured finally. Jim threaded his fingers through the hair at his nape, smiling.  
  
“I told you I was already halfway there.” Jim replied. Leo nodded, kissing him again, Jim melting against him.  
  
*  
  
“Packing an overnight bag was a smart move.” Leo said against Jim's neck the following morning. He'd woken to the heavy weight of the other man draped across him, silently thanking whoever it was who'd given him a place with a double room.  
  
Jim just hummed in agreement and settled more comfortably against him, and promptly fallen back asleep.


End file.
